Harry Reid's Filibuster Fail

Over the last four years, Nevada Senator Harry Reid (Senate Majority Leader) mentioned numerous times that senate filibuster rules needed to be changed.

He said in an interview with Rachelle Maddow on October 27, 2010: "This has to change. It's wrong what they (senate republicans) are doing. The republicans have abused the system and it's going to have to change. There should not be a sixty vote requirement in the senate."

He said on the senate floor May 10, 2012: "if there ever were a time, that Senator's Merkley & Udall were right, that the senate should change the filibuster rules."

On December 4, 2012 Reid said: "We have to change the rules. We can not continue in this way. So I hope we can get something the republicans will work with us on, but it won't be a hand shake deal."

Right after the November elections on November 7, 2012, Reid, at a press conference said: Reporter question: Do you plan to make changes to the filibuster rules? "Yes I do. I've said so publicly & I continue to think that way, the republicans have abused the rule"

So what happens? Harry Reid does a 180 degree turn on filibuster reform in a matter of a few months.

So Reid was all over the media saying that filibuster reform was a HIGH priority.

But today, Reid & McConnell reached a "deal" on filibuster reform that is basically a handshake agreement (the handshake that Reid said was not going to happen in earlier comments)  and now the country faces two more years of republican abuse of the filibuster because for whatever reason Harry Reid caved on his filibuster stance.

This "handshake" just asks that senators politely ask if they are going to filibuster any bills coming for a vote!!!

For whatever reason, Reid backed away from meaningful filibuster reform and took a handshake deal where Reid hopes the republicans won't return to business as usual, and filibuster everything President Obama and the democrats in the senate try to get done.

Maybe Reid has something on McConnell & the republicans where he thinks they will play nice in the next two years, but if the last four years is the new republican strategy, then expect more gridlock in the senate.

Big opportunity missed today on filibuster reform, and lot's of progressives, democrats and liberals are scratching their heads and saying "WHAT THE F*#K:?!?!?!